Obama vs. the other guy, 2008

Obama Camp Spanks McCain on Afghanistan

Obama camp just held a call this morning with Susan Rice and campaign spokesperson Robert Gibbs and unloaded on McCain’s flip-flops and unsure footing when it came to Afghanistan:

Rice calls McCain’s Tuesday speech on Iraq and Afghanistan “surreal.” “He has no credible plans for either conflict or their resolution.”

This is just the beginning, they essentially went on to mock McCain mercilessly on his foreign policy assertions. McCain came back with a weak-kneed response (all of this below). THIS is what happens when you go on offense, Obama, please keep it up. Let’s re-cap just what McCain said about Afghanistan:

So yesterday John McCain said that thanks to the success of the surge in Iraq we can withdraw brigades from there and launch a new surge in Afghanistan, and also Barack Obama is a communist appeaser surrendercrat even thought his is precisely the policy he’s been calling for for months.

Obama’s position has been at least two brigades sent from Iraq to Afghanistan. Many months later McCain suddenly says, “Three brigades from Iraq to Afghanistan.”

In an interview with reporters aboard his campaign bus, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) modified his assertion today that the U.S. could send three additional brigades to Afghanistan by drawing on troops that were leaving Iraq.

The presumptive GOP nominee, who made his initial remarks in a speech before an Albuquerque audience, told reporters just minutes after the event that he might call on NATO to supply part of the additional troops he hopes to send to the region.

Huh, wha?

Enter Obama campaign this morning, hitting him on the flip flop and saying:

[McCain] wants to surge in Afghanistan without reducing U.S. presence in Iraq and meanwhile balance the budget by 2013 — calling it all “utterly illogical.”
“This is not the kind of straight talk or experienced leadership that Sen. McCain advertises.”

Barack Obama has shown he views foreign policy through a lens of ideology rather than through looking at facts. Americans are tired of that brand of leadership, and are ready for a leader that will be prepared and put country first.

Weak. Because there is no response, because they nailed him. As Slinkerwink wrote yesterday, offense is the only posture Obama should be in, and here’s a perfect example why: It works.

About Strategy ’08

Strategy ’08 is a new blog dedicated to covering issues surrounding the 2008 Presidential Campaign between Barack Obama and John McCain. Authors are long-time bloggers and unabashed Barack Obama supporters dansac, slinkerwink, turneresq, zenbowl, smash artist and gdh1 who often post on DailyKos and elsewhere.